It presently is fairly common to place in the cargo box or bed of a pickup truck a one piece shell or liner formed of suitable plastic material. Typical examples of such liners are disclosed in Nix U.S. Pat. No. 3,881,768; Lambitz et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,047,749; and Nix et al U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,111,481; 4,181,349; 4,446,963. A liner conventionally has a bottom that seats upon the base of the cargo box, a pair of upstanding, spaced side walls extending parallel and alongside the side walls of the cargo box, and a front wall which bears against the front wall of the cargo box. The side and front walls of the liner conventionally have flanges at their upper ends which are directed outwardly of the liner so as to overlie the bolsters or sills at the upper edges of the side and front walls of the cargo box.
Although a truck bed liner may fit fairly well within its cargo box, it is necessary to secure the liner to the cargo box so as to preclude the possibility of inadvertent separation of the liner from the vehicle. Conventional methods of securing a liner to the cargo box include the drilling of holes in the liner and in either the side walls or the bolsters of the cargo box for the accommodation of screws or bolts. The drilling of holes in the cargo box is undesirable inasmuch as the holes provide a source for the commencement of rust and deterioration of the truck body.
The cargo boxes of some pickup trucks have preformed openings in the bolsters or sills at the upper edges of the front and/or side walls for the accommodation of stakes or stays. In such cases toggle-like anchor devices may be used to secure a liner to the vehicle without having to bore holes in the vehicle body. A typical form of this construction is illustrated in the aforementioned Nix et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,181,349. However, not all pickup trucks are provided with such openings in the bolsters or sills. Furthermore, it may be desirable to provide a greater number of anchoring devices than there are such openings.
Other examples of anchoring devices for a truck bed liner are shown in Wagner U.S. Pat. No. 4,595,229. The anchor members disclosed in this patent are exceedingly difficult, if not virtually impossible, to apply to a vehicle and liner assembly.
A further example of a truck bed liner anchoring device is disclosed in application Ser. No. 682,677, now abandoned.